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Awakening Humanity Touching HEAVEN

WORLD PEACE

DIET How What We

Eat Creates a More Peaceful World

Proof of Life After Death

Greening Up the Holidays Fresh Ideas for Planet-Friendly Celebrations

Ways to Embrace Life Fully

December 2013 | Nashville Edition | NANashville.com

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5 newsbriefs 8 bookreview 9 healthbriefs 10 globalbriefs 14 healingways 16 greenliving 18 wisewords 20 healthykids 22 fitbody 23 inspiration 24 consciouseating 26 naturalpet 27 calendar 29 classifieds 30 resourceguide

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Natural Awakenings is your guide to a healthier, more balanced life. In each issue readers find cutting-edge information on natural health, nutrition, fitness, personal growth, green living, creative expression and the products and services that support a healthy lifestyle.

12 NEAR-DEATH

EXPERIENCES

Proof of Life after Death by Linda Sechrist

14 ‘TIS THE SEASON TO BE WISE

A Prime Time to Rejuvenate and Birth Creativity

by Lane Vail

16 GREEN MERRY MAKING Retro-Fresh Family Traditions by Claire O’Neil

18 HUMANITY’S

ETERNAL QUEST

Eckhart Tolle on the Kingdom of Heaven Within by Eric Nelson

20 SWEET SLUMBER

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December 2013

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sked why she thought she had cancer, Anita Moorjani, author of Dying to Be Me, sums up her answer in one word: Fear. “I was killing myself, and cancer saved me,” says Moorjani, whose book documents her neardeath experience (NDE) and the higher realm she encountered when her body shut down. Allowed to identify with her true magnificence, undistorted by the fear generated by her own lifelong self-judgment, self-criticism, worry and lack of self-forgiveness, she returned with a vital, heartfelt message. “Everyone is an amazing, magnificent being, with great capacity for health, happiness and joy. Although we’ve been conditioned to believe that we need to pursue success and learn to improve ourselves to be happy, such steps are unnecessary, because we already are all we are trying to attain,” she says. “I’d spent a lifetime feeling inadequate, beating myself up for not meeting my own expectations,” she continues. Through the clarity of dwelling in the NDE realm, she understood that the cancer wasn’t a punishment for anything. “It was just my own energy manifesting as cancer, because my fears weren’t allowing me to express myself as the magnificent force I was meant to be,” advises Moorjani. She hopes that her presentations to medical professionals and public speaking will influence how the health profession views cancer and other diseases and illnesses. “Treatment needs to be about more than medicine, because so much of disease has to do with our emotions,” she imparts, “especially the ones we direct toward ourselves.” Through this life-enhancing experience, Moorjani came to understand why she owes it to herself, everyone she meets and life itself to always express her own unique essence. “Trying to be anything or anyone else doesn’t make me better—it just deprives me of my true self and keeps me from interacting authentically with others,” she explains. Moorjani now knows that all life in the universe is one and our core is love. “I was overwhelmed by the realization that God isn’t a being, but a state of being… and I am that state of being… pure consciousness.”

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newsbriefs Simplifying Gift Giving with the Four Gift Rule

veryone loves opening a great present or the gratification of giving a well-received gift. But too often, the meaning of family gift exchanges is watered down by sheer extravagance. It’s easy for parents to go overboard with holiday shopping when faced with extensive wish lists and tempted by copious toy aisles. For many, implementing the “four gift rule” can help rein in spending and refocus the whole family on the true spirit of the season. The philosophy is simple: in addition to Santa’s delivery, each child is given something to wear, something to read, something they want and something they need. Because the four gift rule can greatly reduce the amount of gifts being given, the approach can make gift-giving more meaningful. The gift-giver can focus on the individual needs and wants of each child. The joy of what they receive should not be about quantity, but about the quality and thoughtfulness of the gift.

Youth Holiday Extravaganza

enter for Spiritual Living Nashville will feature their Kids, Tweens and Teens in a fantastic show in Decembers’ Co-Creators’ Coffeehouse. This year's theme is "Season of Joy" and you'll see the CSLN youth celebrate the various holiday traditions, including Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, with a lot of surprises in between. The children invite you to come and bring all of your friends! Bring a plate of your favorite cookies to share after the show, perhaps cookies that represent your heritage. We may even be blessed with Mr. and Mrs. Claus! Help spread the word about the wonderful youth program at CSLN. The event is scheduled for Friday, December 6, 7pm at Center for Spiritual Living Nashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. Info@CSLNashville.org.

Taize Service

ut of the darkness…into the light; This beautifully quiet, contemplative service offers a quiet, contemplative atmosphere in which to embrace the stillness and deep peace that seems so elusive during the busy holiday season. With song chants, readings, silent meditation and prayers at the candles we give ourselves the gifts of reflection and renewal as we step out of the darkness—into the light. Give yourself the gift of this beautiful, heart-opening service in the midst of your holiday busyness. In the depth of stillness, in the midst of darkness . . . shine the light of love that you are. This special evening of contemplation is led by Reverend Donna Michael. All are welcome to attend this Service scheduled for Thursday, December 12, 7pm. Center for Spiritual Living Nashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615356-0174. Info@CSLNashville.org. See ad page 15.

Voice Print Sessions

odern allopathic medicine treats symptoms, not the cause, therefore, the whole person and their entire system is not addressed. Vibrational Energy Medicine gently invites stuck energy to move or vibrate again or over-stimulated energy to seek more stillness .The therapies mirror trauma and dis-ease to the system so it can self-correct in an environment of self-healing. Voice Frequency Analysis is a form of Vibrational Medicine and Energy Work. A voice print can reveal discrepancies in the body before you become aware of any physical symptoms. When you speak into a directional microphone your individual frequencies are picked up by specialized computer software then printed out for you to see and have interpreted. Learn what frequencies, sounds, musical notes and vibrations you need to listen to in order to bring your personal resonance back into harmony and balance. This is a modality that can be easily learned by anyone and can help any musician gain an expanded awareness of their craft.

Shira Hunt

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Shira Hunt will offer mini-sessions on Wednesday, December11 at Cosmic Connections, 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville. For more information call 615-463-7677.

December 2013

Enjoy our annual get-together! Free seminars all day long on Intuitive Empathic Clairvoyant Empower Intuitive Abilities, BodyTalk:

Your Neti Pot

sed for centuries in Asian cultures to support nasal health and eliminate toxins from the nasal mucosa, neti pots have recently become The Language of Health, popular in the Western world and are recogf intuitive Integration readings nized for their value in preventing and relieving Structural Bodywork, sinus infections. Typically, a mild solution of fEssential stone and crystal energy Oils 101 andwork more! unrefined sea salt and purified or distilled water f chakra balancing is poured from one nostril through the other to Complimentary snacks. Mini flush out unwanted mucus, bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms. Herbalist f clearing of negative energy Frank, of Nature’s Rite, points to a powerful new paradigm that helps neti at just $25 each. Door Steven fServices reiki certified pot users deal even more effectively with infection: a regimen of aqueous, colprizes and drawings. Our annualloidal silver and soothing herbal and plant extracts. Frank recommends using the neti pot with a colloidal silver wash that is Call today to schedule an retained in the nostrils for several minutes. “Bacteria and fungus stick rather well appointment Kelly event iswith just one way we thank 615-804-9154 to the nasal mucosa and few are flushed out with simple saline flushes,” he exkelly@kelly-mcc.com our customers for their support plains. “Most of these nasty pathogens adhere to the mucosa with what is called a biofilm. Within this slime layer, they are well protected and thrive in the warm www.kelly-mcc.com throughout the year! moist sinuses, so a small saline bath once a day doesn’t bother them much. However, colloidal silver disables certain enzymes needed by anaerobic bacteria, viruses, yeasts and fungus, resulting in their destruction. And, unlike antibiotics, silver does not allow resistant ‘super bugs’ to develop.” He also suggests soothing the sinuses with restorative herbal decoctions. Calendula, plantain and aloe contain vital nutrients that soothe and heal, while Echinacea root and grapefruit seed extract offer antimicrobial benefits. Frank emphasizes the importance of using a neti pot safely and responsibly and warns against table salt, which can irritate nasal membranes, and tap water, which may contain contaminants. Steven Frank is an innovative herbalist and owner of MyNaturesRite.com. For

Cosmic Connections more information, call 888-465-4404. See ad, page 17. 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville Holiday Celebration 615-463-7677 osmic Connections, a Holistic www.yourcosmicconnections.com Holiday Bazaar Center located in Nashville,

invites you to attend their annual Holiday Celebration. As a way of thanking their loyal customers and inviting others to stop by and browse, free seminars will be available all day on Intuitive abilities, BodyTalk: The Language of Health, Structural Integration Bodywork, Essential Oils 101 and more! Mini Services will be offered at $25 each. Complimentary snacks, door prizes and drawings; come join us! Holiday Celebration will be help on Saturday, December 7 from 10am6pm at Cosmic Connections, 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville. 615-4637677. YourCosmicConnections.com See ad page 7.

Nashville Edition

he Farm School Solar Campus in Summertown will host its Annual Holiday Bazaar. Each year, vendors from throughout Tennessee bring their unique, high-quality wares to The Farm School for one day only. This is a great time for Middle Tennessee residents to find truly unique gifts for everyone on their shopping list and a nice chance to visit and learn more about The Farm Community, which was established in 1971. The kitchen in the Solar School will be transformed into a cozy café featuring live acoustic & vocal performances. Coffee and breakfast breads will be served in the morning with vegetarian lunches and desserts available throughout the day. All vendors donate a percentage of their sales to the Farm School in what has become their major fundraiser of the year. As always, support of The Farm School contributes to a sustainable future for the local community. The Holiday Bazaar will be held on Saturday, December 7 from 9am-4pm at The Farm Community, 100 Farm Road, Summertown.

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Rudolph’s Red Nose Run

or 100 years, NeedLink Nashville has helped their neighbors meet their most basic needs in times of financial crisis. NeedLink provides 4,000 families with food, heat, water and hope every year. Join 2000 walkers and runners for an evening of fun in the cold that will benefit NeedLink Nashville. Sign up today for Nashville’s most festive 5K!! Rudolph’s Red Nose Run starts at LP Field, traces the Christmas Parade route through downtown past thousands of cheering parade-goers, and arrives back at the stadium just in time for the city’s holiday fireworks display. Don’t forget to wear your merry best for the holiday costume contest!

Race is scheduled for Friday, December 6 and starts at 6pm. The Parade will start at 7pm and please be advised that no pets or strollers are allowed in the race. For entry information: 615-678-1023.

Half Moon Yoga Healing Relocates to Franklin

oga has been practiced for more than 5,000 years, and currently, close to 11 million Americans enjoy its health benefits. Yoga can hardly be called a trend and has been shown to improve the quality of life both physically and mentally. With regular practice the benefits can be many; more flexibility, greater physical strength, stress reduction, better mood, concentration and lower blood pressure. If you are looking to improve your overall health and well-being, yoga is a wonderful alternative. In August, Half Moon Yoga Healing, owned and operated by Robbie Short and Tracy Homier, relocated to 101 International Drive, Suite 105, in Franklin. The studio offers traditional and authentic yoga with a focus on improving the total mind and body connection. With talented, creative, specially trained and certified instructors, a variety of yoga styles ranging from Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga, Yoga Therapy, Iyengar and Restorative are offered. Classes are available from 7am-7pm, seven days a week, for all ages and abilities. The operation was expanded from 17 to 34 classes and 4 new teachers were added! The studio also offers Therapeutic Massage with Mindy Moore and Energy Healing with Sally Reid, by appointment. Half Moon Yoga Healing’s mission is “Heart centered healing for opening bodies, calming minds and creating peaceful spirits”. Come join us on this journey! Visit: HalfMoonYoga.net to find the class for you, or call 615-496-2310 for more assistance. See ad page 18.

CORRECTION

We apologize for an error in the previously published article, "Energy Healing Comes of Age." Donna Eden founded the Energy Medicine Institute, not Energy Medicine University.

December 7 From 10am To 6pm

Holiday Celebration Enjoy our annual get-together! Free seminars all day long on Intuitive Abilities, BodyTalk:

The Language of Health, Structural Integration Bodywork, Essential Oils 101 and more! Complimentary snacks. Mini Services at just $25 each. Door prizes and drawings. Our annual event is just one way we thank our customers for their support throughout the year!

Cosmic Connections 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville 615-463-7677 www.yourcosmicconnections.com People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy. ~Anton Chekhov

natural awakenings

December 2013

Building Houses of Love

Happy Birthday Sagittarius

enter for Spiritual Living Nashville’s youth group will be decorating gingerbread houses in the Community Room during Service on Sunday, December 8. All kids are welcome to show off their creativity and decorate a cool gingerbread house. Each Gingerbread house will be auctioned off on Sunday, December 15, following Service. All proceeds will go to CSLNashvilles’ Youth Group. We need the following: Gingerbread House Builders or donators, volunteers to set up the event on Saturday, December 7, 2-5 pm, and volunteers to help the kids on decorating Day.

by Marvin L. Wilkerson

ou’re on the growth, adventure and change train and with great confidence you should make long strides this year in accomplishing some major goals. The only drawback is the need to control any conflicts between your needs and the needs of others; balance may be difficult. You’ll be a little more sensitive in the empathy department as you’ll have concerns for others’ troubling dilemmas. Your laser mind in researching your interests will prove advantageous and hone your communication skills as groups or teaching opportunities may seek you out. Seek moderation in all you do and trust your self-reliance instead of relying on others for support. If you like intensity and drama in your relationships you’re going to love that energy this year. You could be consumed with love and passion while expecting the partner to feel the same way. You’ll experience great emotional heights and plummet to emotional depths while wanting others to be there with you. Be careful not to use this emotional roller coaster as your measurement of others’ feelings. If you find balance in your life you will have a good blend of enthusiasm and self-control and if used wisely success will follow. Lastly, keep things on the real side. Stay grounded with positive spiritual beliefs that all is as it should be, remembering, we’re not in charge. All aboard, the train is leaving the station. Have a great year! Marvin L. Wilkerson is a full time professional astrologer and Certified Hypnotherapist. Private consultations are available. Please contact Marvin at 615-557-5667. For more information visit: AstroMarv.com or BLHypnosis.com.

Nashville Edition

For more information, to donate or volunteer please call 615-356-0174 or email: Info@CSLNashville.org. Center for Spiritual Living Nashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville.

Book Review What do you do if you’re vegan, but your spouse, partner, roommate, or another family member isn’t?

n this diplomatic and eminently practical guide to achieving household harmony, Ellen Jaffe Jones (author of the bestselling Eat Vegan on $4 a Day), addresses the heated issues that can arise when vegans and meat-eaters share the same kitchen. Speaking both from first-hand experience and using suggestions gleaned from her network of cooking students, social media groups, and other vegans, Ellen diplomatically maps out workable approaches along with guidelines on how to implement them. Cooking and coping can be fun, and the emphasis throughout the book is to entice rather than preach. Tantalizing aromas lure many to sample new dishes and a satisfied stomach speaks volumes. Fun and easy-to-prepare recipes are designed to fit into a variety of menu plans. Soups, salads, and desserts are easily common ground. Satisfying dishes that use meat and dairy alternatives, hearty meals where meat won’t be missed, flex dishes that lend themselves to animal products being added, and versatile sides that vegans can adapt as a main course offer a myriad of accommodating choices. In this book you’ll hear from people who are “living in the trenches” daily and who have developed a wealth of tips for cooking and coping with a divided kitchen. Also provided are plenty of practical suggestions for how you can avoid the start of World War III and not just survive but thrive in a challenging living situation. Consider the book a life preserver in the sea of a meat-eating majority. Plus, while you’re swimming upstream, you may just end up catching the attention of someone nearby who decides, “I’ll have what she’s having.” For additional information or to purchase Kitchen Divided visit: BookPubCo.com or contact Liz Murray at Liz@BookPubCo.com.

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healthbriefs Cranberries Support Healthy Circulation egularly drinking cranberry juice may help

Meditation Helps Heal Traumatized Veterans

control blood pressure, according to new findings presented at the American Heart Association’s High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions. Cranberry juice, the researchers note, is rich in antioxidants—naturally occurring molecules that have been associated with the blood pressure-lowering benefit. U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers discovered a moderate systolic pressure reduction—about three points—for people that drank two eight-ounce glasses of cranberry juice every day for eight weeks. Because of the sugar calories in juice, consider the alternative of a whole-food cranberry supplement.

To Get More, Give More

iving away money or spending it on others increases the giver’s sense of personal wealth, according to research by Michael Norton, of Harvard Business School, and co-author Elizabeth Dunn, of the University of British Columbia. The latest in a series of studies showed that people that support others, from helping with homework to shoveling a neighbor’s driveway, feel that they had more time in general and that giving time away relieved the sense of “not having enough time,” even more than gaining unexpected free time.

Sprinkle Cinnamon to Avert Alzheimer’s

innamon is known as an excellent antioxidant that improves fasting blood sugar levels and prevents heart disease. Now new research offers yet another benefit and reason to add this potent spice to our daily diet. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, have confirmed that cinnamon helps protect against Alzheimer’s disease. They found that the cinnamon compounds cinnamaldehyde and epicatechin help stop the formation of “tangles” of tau protein in the brain, hallmarks of the memory-robbing neurodegenerative disease. The study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, says these powerful antioxidants that give cinnamon its potent flavor and scent defend mental function in a unique way. “Take, for example, sunburn, a form of oxidative damage,” explains Roshni Graves, of the university’s Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. “If you wore a hat, you could protect your face and head from oxidation. In a sense, this cinnamaldehyde is like a cap,” protecting against tau proteins. The findings suggest that sufficient cinnamon consumption might stop the progression of Alzheimer’s or even prevent it.

ranscendental Meditation (TM) has a dramatic healing effect on people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and can also result in lower blood pressure, according to two new studies. TM—a technique to avoid distracting thoughts, decrease stress and promote a state of relaxed awareness—reduced PTSD symptoms in combat veterans by as much as 50 percent in just eight weeks, according to a study from Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C., published in the journal Military Medicine. The veterans also reported decreased depression and improved quality of life, with a greater ability to come back to their civilian lives after returning from duty. Vietnam War vets randomly assigned to TM sessions at a Denver Veterans Center also experienced greater reductions in alcohol usage, insomnia and depression than those in conventional counseling. At the conclusion of a landmark three-month study, 70 percent of the meditating veterans felt they no longer required the services of the center. A separate American Heart Association report on the general U.S. population showed that the practice of TM generally reduced systolic blood pressure in subjects by five points and diastolic by three points, enough to put many of them into normal range. Previous clinical trials have shown that lower blood pressure through TM practice is associated with significantly lower rates of death, heart attack and stroke. TM is usually practiced for 15 to 20 minutes twice a day by sitting comfortably and focusing on an individually selected word or series of words.

natural awakenings

December 2013

globalbriefs News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.

Genuinely Greenwashed Six Ploys to Avoid in Eco-Purchases

Escalating Thirst

Endangered Western Tree Habitats

team of scientists at the University of Grenoble, in France, have isolated ultrasonic pops 100 times faster than what a human can hear in slivers of dead pine wood bathed in a hydrogel to simulate the conditions of a living tree. They exposed the gel to an artificially dry environment and listened for the noises that occurred as air bubbles built up, blocking water uptake, similar to what occurs to trees during drought. As leaves on a tree collect carbon dioxide, they open their pores, a process that leaves them particularly vulnerable to water loss. Douglas firs and pine trees can repair this damage as frequently as every hour, says Katherine McCulloh, a plant ecophysiologist at Oregon State University. However, the bubbles are deadly for other species. Today, the typical forest in the often thirsty American West contains an unnaturally high density of 112 to 172 trees per acre. Besides intercepting rain and snow that would otherwise enter the groundwater supply, such an overabundance threatens native species. “Deprived of [the effect of] low-intensity, naturally occurring fires, aspen, lupine, sequoia and fireweed can’t reproduce,” notes Jamie Workman, of the Environmental Defense Fund. “Deer lose edge habitat. Threatened owls and raptors can’t navigate through increasingly dense thickets.” Workman argues that thinning out small trees is the answer.

report by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing exposes these six “greenwashing” marketing ploys to watch out for when shopping: 1. Hidden Trade Off: A refurbished plasma TV might reduce the need of buying new at first, but new or not, such TVs are energy hogs. 2. No Proof: Can a third party verify claims such as “organic” or “allnatural”? 3. Vagueness: Beware of products claiming to be “chemical-free” or “no hormones added”. 4. Irrelevance: Claims that have no relationship to the product or might be made with any other product in the same category, such as [chlorofluorocarbon] CFC-free shaving gel. 5. Fibbing: A falsehood that can’t be backed up, such as “certified organic” for products for which no such certification exists. 6. Lesser of Two Evils: An attempt to put a green twist on a product that’s inherently harmful to humans and the environment, such as organic cigarettes.

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Power Walking

Arctic Rescue

Finland Calls for North Pole Sanctuary

he Finnish government has adopted a new Arctic Strategy that calls for a global sanctuary around the North Pole as one of the key demands of the growing Save the Arctic movement, reversing its long-held position of backing corporate interests over the environment. The populace responded strongly to a series of actions taken by Greenpeace against government icebreaker ships aiding corporate oil exploration in order to heighten awareness of the issue. The new Finnish policy reflects a mounting world citizenry’s view that the Arctic deserves protection. Greenpeace points out that companies can wreck the Arctic with little penalty and the current Arctic Council oil spill agreement does nothing to protect the Arctic or impose liability in this the most vulnerable place on Earth. The hope is that the other seven Arctic Council countries will see the light, as well. Sign the petition and pitch in at SaveTheArctic.org.

Shoe Insert Generates Electricity wo Carnegie Mellon graduates, Matt Stanton and Hahna Alexander, are the founders of SolePower, a company making a shoe insert that stores the power generated by walking and running into a battery that can be instantly accessed via a USB port. Beta testing on the prototype has begun, with release expected next summer. The insert can be paired with any shoe type and feels like a regular, cushy insole, according to Stanton. The battery attaches to the ankle or the top of the shoe, and is charged after 2.5 miles of footsteps with enough power to run an iPhone. Runners needing to power heatproducing mittens in the winter could also benefit. Another application is emergency charging of cell phones and radios during power outages. People in developing nations likewise will have a reliable power source for mobile phones and other essential small electronics.

Source: SolePowerTech.com

Sustainable Solutions Competition Launched to Measure Ocean Acidification

s part of their mission of “making the impossible possible,” organizers of the XPrize, a global leader in incentivized competitions, have launched the $2 million Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPrize contest. Schmidt is president of the Schmidt Family Foundation, which strives to advance the development of clean energy and support wiser use of natural resources. The program aims to spur innovators to transform our understanding of ocean acidification—a grave problem associated with the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide—via breakthroughs in ocean pH-sensing technologies designed to monitor and sustain ocean health. For information and to register, visit xprize.org or Facebook.com/xprize.

natural awakenings

December 2013

Near Death Experiences Proof of Life after Death by Linda Sechrist

Life as Love

he advice that the White Queen gave to young Alice in Lewis Carroll’s Through the LookingGlass might be some of the best to offer non-believers and skeptics that question the credibility of near-death experiences (NDE). When Alice protests, “One can’t believe impossible things,” the White Queen famously retorts, “I daresay you haven’t had much practice. When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Glimpses of Grace

The majority of physicians and clinical researchers in the medical community continue to consider NDEs as impossible and merely pure fantasies generated by a surge of electrical activity as a dying brain runs out of oxygen. However, according to a Gallup poll, the 8 million Americans whose transcendental NDEs freed their consciousness to leave the body and enter into a wondrous reality that exists completely free of physicality, believe them to be real, meaningful 12

Nashville Edition

experience, the sensation of traveling through a tunnel, encountering a bright light (usually interpreted as God, Jesus or an angel), communicating with deceased relatives, feeling emotions such as profound peace, well-being and love, plus a flood of knowledge about life and the nature of the universe. Perhaps the most significant element he reports is the supremely conscious and superbly blissful state that exists beyond both limitations of the senses and intellect and the confines of space and time—the pure conscious form of each one’s truly real Self.

and life-changing experiences. Recently, the renowned NDE narratives of Anita Moorjani, author of Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer to Near Death, to True Healing, and Dr. Eben Alexander, author of Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife, have sparked fresh public interest in NDEs, a word coined by Raymond Moody, Ph.D., in his 1975 classic, Life After Life. Moody, a psychiatrist and professor of philosophy who has spent nearly 50 years investigating what happens when people die, has interviewed thousands of individuals that have personally experienced an NDE. “Over the past 20 years there have been enormous strides in resuscitation technology. Defibrillators and public access defibrillation programs, as well as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, are major factors that allow modern medicine to bring people back from a state that 100 years ago would have been labeled death,” observes Moody. Through his research, he has identified numerous common elements that occur in NDEs—an out-of-body

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Rushed to the hospital in a coma, Moorjani, whose body had been devoured for four years by cancer of the lymphatic system, describes the real self that she discovered during her NDE. “There I was, without my body or any physical traits, yet my pure essence continued to exist. It was not a reduced element of my whole self; in fact, it felt far greater and more intense and expansive than my physical being. “I felt eternal, as if I’d always existed and always would, without a beginning or end. I was filled with the knowledge that I was simply magnificent,” explains Moorjani, whose cancer completely disappeared within five weeks after her release from the hospital. “Not only did I come back with a clean slate, I brought back one of my biggest lessons—to love myself and be an instrument of love. I also returned to life here with a sense of purpose—to fearlessly be as authentically me as I can be. This means,” she clarifies, “that in whatever I do, I am acting from my sense of passion and the sheer joy of doing it.” During Alexander’s seven-day coma in a hospital, brought about by antibiotic-resistant E. coli meningitis that attacked his brain, he left his mortal identity behind. “My brain wasn’t working at all,” he relates. “My entire neo-cortex, the part that makes us human, was entirely shut down. I had no language, emotions, logic or memories of who I was. Such an empty slate granted me full access to the true

cosmic being that I am, that we all are,” says Alexander. He further recalls that as his NDE unfolded, it occurred to him that he was being granted a grand overview of the invisible side of existence. He also had a lovely ethereal companion that floated along on a butterfly wing, telepathically teaching him to accept the universal truth that, “You are eternally loved and cherished, you have nothing to fear, and there is nothing you can do wrong.” “If I had to boil the whole message down to just one word, it would be Love—the incomprehensibly glorious truth of truths that lives and breathes at the core of everything that exists or will ever exist. No remotely accurate understanding of who we are and what we are can be achieved by anyone who does not know it and embody it in all their actions,” Alexander now understands. Prior to his life-threatening illness, this neurosurgeon’s sophisticated medical training had led him to dismiss the possibility of NDEs. Today, he works at returning to his NDE state of oneness and unconditional love by using meditation and sacred acoustics, as well as quantum mechanics, to explore the nature of consciousness and higher brain function. Like Moody, Alexander studies the ancient Greek philosophers Parmenides, Pythagoras and Plato, who took the notion of an afterlife seriously and questioned “what” survives bodily death. Alexander’s consequent

nonprofit organization, Eternea, fosters cooperation between science and spirituality by sponsoring research and education about spiritually transformative experiences and holistic consciousness beyond conventional definitions. “I had to learn a whole lot more about consciousness than I had to know about neuroscience,” quips Alexander, who now believes that the brain blocks access to knowledge of higher worlds. “We need to accept—at least hypothetically—that the brain itself doesn’t produce consciousness. That it is, instead, a kind of reducing valve or filter that dumbs down consciousness for the duration of our human experience. “Neuroscience can’t give you the first sentence about how the physical brain creates consciousness,” he states, while many are finding how science and spirituality strengthen each other. At age 37, a blood vessel exploded in the left hemisphere of Jill Bolte Taylor’s brain. A Ph.D. Harvard-trained scientist specializing in anatomy of the brain, she was fascinated to observe the breakdown of her brain-related functions. As described in her book, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey, she became the witness to her stroke, which initially left her unable to talk, walk, read, write or remember anything prior to that occurrence. As her left brain shut down, Taylor lost her ability to process all language; with her mind suspended in newfound silence, she experienced an unprecedented sense of deep peace. She also

experienced an inability to visually distinguish edges and boundaries between herself and the outer world. Absent conventional orientation, “I could actually see that my skin was not my physical boundary. “As a result of such a glorious state of blissful realization that I am—as we all are—connected to everything and everyone around us, I no longer see myself as a single, solid entity, separate from other human beings,” advises Taylor. “Although my left mind still thinks of me as a fragile individual, capable of losing my life, my right mind realizes the essence of my being as eternal life.” She now understands that she is part of the cosmic flow of energy, which she characterizes as a tranquil sea of euphoria.

Present Possibility

In The Hidden Face of God: Science Reveals the Ultimate Truth, author Gerald L. Schroeder, Ph.D., suggests that each of us is a part of the universe seeking and finding itself. Could it be that without the mental filter and self-limiting beliefs, we are free to consciously know our higher state of wholeness and the truth of our magnificence? Upwards of 8 million people that have experienced their own NDE are trending the world toward a tipping point into the comforting awareness that anything is possible. Linda Sechrist is a senior staff writer for Natural Awakenings. Visit ItsAllAboutWe. com for the recorded interviews.

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December 2013

Spring is a time for new beginnings, summer a time for growth, autumn for gathering abundance and winter for introspection.

healingways

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tis the Season

to Be Wise

~Joseph Cardillo energies in a big way,â&#x20AC;? says research psychologist and mind-body medicine expert Joseph Cardillo, Ph.D., author of The Five Seasons. Who can ignore a blossoming spring or an abundant autumn? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those same energetic cycles,â&#x20AC;? says Cardillo, â&#x20AC;&#x153;are mirrored in the microcosmic human body and human experience.â&#x20AC;?

A Prime Time to Rejuvenate and Birth Creativity by Lane Vail

Chill Out

or California acupuncturist Daniela Freda, counseling patients that grapple with low energy during winter is routine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re often concerned something is wrong, since our society expects us to feel the same way year-round,â&#x20AC;? says Freda, who maintains a private practice in San Francisco. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But in fact,â&#x20AC;? she adds, â&#x20AC;&#x153;everything is right.â&#x20AC;? According to a study published in Psychiatry Research, only 4 to 6 percent of Americans suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD), characterized by a predictable seasonal pattern of major depressive or bipolar disorder. For the vast majority of the population, a slight seasonal variance in mood and

behavior is normal, confirms Kathryn Roecklein, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and prominent SAD researcher at Pennsylvaniaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University of Pittsburg. Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), like Freda, view decreased energy in natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wintertime as a reflection of the seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy. In this philosophy, rising (yang) and falling (yin) energies cycle as the seasons turn. Winter is governed by quiet, slow, introspective and creative yin energy. As winter yields to spring, the bright, fast, expansive and extroverted yang energy gains momentum to peak in summer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nature expresses universal

Although the December 21 winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, temperatures in most of the U.S. continue to fall through February. Cardillo advises embracing winterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chill because it diverts our attention from daily activities so that we pause to consider whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The effect is similar to splashing cold water on our face,â&#x20AC;? he remarks. As the cold draws animals into hibernation and plants into dormancy, it also beckons us to enjoy extra sleep, notes Freda, as we follow the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s path: Earlier to bed; later to rise. She encourages her clients to incorporate restorative activities into daily routines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Intentionally set aside time to connect with the breath and quiet the

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mind,” she counsels. Try gentle yoga or t’ai chi, listen to relaxing music, curl up with a cozy book or take nature walks, flush with fresh sensory experiences. Cardillo explains that slowing down naturally creates space for the contemplative and creative qualities of yin energy to rise. Meditating, visualizing and journaling promote access to one’s inner wisdom. “Winter is a perfect time to examine the myriad ideas you’ve dreamt up and assemble them into a new you,” says Cardillo. “Now you are prepared to use the robust energy of spring to scatter those ideas abroad.”

overindulge in the yin energy of winter, an attempt at restoration and quietude can lead to lethargy and isolation. “I see this clinically,” says Freda. “Instead of embracing a little extra rest and relaxation, some people become exhausted and lose their motivation altogether. They become stuck in the yin.” Cardillo recommends that such individuals engage in moodbrightening outdoor activities to help

restore balance. Roecklein agrees, noting that SAD sufferers undergoing cognitive behavioral therapy (which emphasizes positive thinking and beneficial behaviors) likewise are encouraged to participate in physical and social activities that bring joy and meaning. Lane Vail is a freelance writer in South Carolina. Connect at WriterLane.com.

Reflect on Water

In TCM, the element of water, symbolizing focus and purity, is closely associated with winter. Highly adaptable, water can be solid, liquid or formless vapor; it can flow over, under, around or through obstacles with ease; and it can be still and contained. Contemplating the power of water in any of its forms can help synchronize one’s consciousness with the season’s gifts. “When your mind is unstuck and flowing like water, your dreams start becoming real to you, simply because you’re in the flow, the present moment,” observes Cardillo, who also authored Be Like Water. He suggests looking to water for guidance in creating solutions, sharpening focus or moving effortlessly on to the next step.

Find Balance

Freda points out that within the strong yin energy of winter, “There are yang moments, celebratory moments, to keep us going.” An imbalance can occur when the slowness of winter is completely counteracted by too much high-energy socializing, working or rushing through the day. “An excess of yang during the winter,” counsels Freda, “rather than a glimpse of it, can deplete us,” contributing to stress, fatigue and depression. Conversely, for those with an already predominantly yin personality (quiet, introverted, low energy) that

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 A Science of Mind & Spirit Center 6705 Charlotte Pike • 615/356-0174 CSLNashville.org • email: info@CSLNashville.org natural awakenings

December 2013

greenliving

GREEN Merry Making Retro-Fresh Family Traditions by Claire Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neil

hroughout the year, Santaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good girls and boys of all ages make every effort to buy only whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needed, plus recycle, reuse and repurpose. Then the holidays hit and discipline often gives way to indulgences. The season seems consumed by uptempo decorating, feasting, shopping, gift-giving and merrymaking at any cost. Yet, creative green living experts show us how easy it is to tweak timehonored family traditions to align with the green way we wish to live and feel even more satisfied with festivities.

Decking the Halls

For Danny Seo, author ofÂ Upcycling Celebrations:Â A Use-What-You-Have Guide to Decorating, Gift-Giving & Entertaining,Â â&#x20AC;&#x153;Upcycling is basically a form of recycling that elevates something to a better level than before.â&#x20AC;?Â Based in New York City and Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Seo always has an eye out for green possibilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Opt for vintage pieces and re-imagine them in new and interesting ways,â&#x20AC;?Â he advises. For example, he likes to upcycle a vintage glass cake stand

with a collection of bright ornaments for a unique holiday focal point. Michele Johansen, a lifestyle writer in Bellevue, Washington, suggests bringing in the outdoors. Instead of decorating the tree with tinsel and the home with plastic faux greenery, she suggests stringing popcorn and cranberries on the tree and decking the halls with fresh wreaths and garlands accented with boughs of holly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Local nurseries are good sources for holiday dĂŠcor that you can later mulch or put in yard waste bins,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The smells are much more authentic and festive.â&#x20AC;? Save energy by using LED lights whenever possible, suggests Sheryl Eisenberg, a writer for the National Resources Defense Council. Plug lights and electronics into a power strip, and then unplug it when not in use to save â&#x20AC;&#x153;ghostâ&#x20AC;? energy pulled by electronics that are plugged in, but not activated. Buy a live tree to later plant or recycle, Seo suggests. This supports regional Christmas tree farmers while retaining the integrity of local forests. Many communities offer recycling of holiday trees to provide mulch or habitat for aquatic life in local lakes.

Keeping the Feast

Organize a cookie exchange to get

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together and save time and energy on holiday baking, suggests Sara Novak, a food policy and health writer at SereneKitchen.com, from Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. Generally, a hostess asks guests to bring several dozen of their favorite cookies. Once gathered, attendees share the treats and recipes, taking home several of each variety. To “green it up”, Novak recommends emailing the recipes rather than printing them, encouraging invitees to use fresh and local ingredients and bring favorite reusable containers from home, like a colorful, time-honored cookie tin. For the holiday table, mix and match settings of plates, glasses, linens and cutlery. “Use the real thing,” Eisenberg recommends, “and recruit guests to help wash up afterwards.” She recalls that while growing up, her mother supplemented her silverware with grandmother’s for large holiday dinners. Save your own energy (and sanity) by asking family and friends to bring

an appetizer, side dish or dessert. The hostess can assign a dish and corresponding recipe or use a potluck approach, says Eisenberg. Leftovers go home in non-plastic, reusable containers.

Gift Giving

Many families enjoy giving traditional gifts to children at certain ages, like dollhouses or train sets. Re-imagine these and, when possible, buy local to save energy and support area businesses, suggests Eisenberg. Cintia Gonzalez, an Australian mom, crafted a dollhouse from an old suitcase, inventively using black chalkboard paint for the exterior, wooden shelves as floors and fast food ketchup cups as lampshades (Tinyurl.com/ UpcycleDollhouse). Another mom transformed a discarded coffee table into a painted train table for her boys. Upcycle paint chip cards into colorful gift tags, suggests Seo. Plus, use gift wraps that become part of

the gift itself, such as placemats swaddling a bottle of wine, fabric to encase quilting supplies or sheet music enveloping concert tickets. As a general rule, “Give experiences, not gifts,” counsels Eisenberg. “Giving loved ones experiences reduces wrapping paper, ribbon and packaging and is an easy way to be a bit more personal over the holidays. Your teenage niece may love a spa day, complete with hair styling, while your favorite aunt and uncle may be thrilled to attend a local wine tasting. If you think a young child can tolerate a few less presents in exchange for a pass to an ice show or dance class, go for it.” “It’s the holiday experience that counts,” counsels Seo. “It’s what makes memories.” Claire O’Neil is a freelance writer from Kansas City, MO.

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wisewords

Humanity’s Eternal Quest photo by David Ellingsen

Eckhart Tolle on the Kingdom of Heaven Within by Eric Nelson

o listen to Eckhart Tolle is to be reminded that anything is possible—for anyone. We’re not talking about living a life of leisure, filled with expensive cars, beach homes and extravagant vacations, but an experience brimming with the kind of spiritual insights that make this life not only worth living, but decidedly more fulfilling. The problem is that when people hear the words “spiritual insight”, there’s often an assumption that it’s

about something too ethereal to be practical or too elusive to be achieved in this lifetime. This is exactly the point that Tolle, one of the world’s most well-known spiritual teachers and authors, rebuffed during a talk earlier this year at California’s Stanford University. “Some people awaken spiritually without ever coming into contact with any meditation technique or any spiritual teaching,” he said. “They may awaken simply because they can’t stand

the suffering anymore.” He went on to cite examples of those that have either been told they have a short time to live or have been given an exceptionally long prison sentence. In both cases, any thought of a future has been effectively dashed, forcing these individuals into what Tolle describes as an intense awareness that there is only the present moment, with no more future to escape into mentally. The result is a lot less suffering.

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“That is the real spiritual awakening, when something emerges from within you that is deeper than who you thought you were,” says Tolle. “So, the person is still there, but one could almost say that something more powerful shines through the person.” The good news, according to Tolle, is that in order to experience this awakening, “You don’t have to wait for the diagnosis by the doctor or to be put in prison… nor do you have to do 30,000 hours of meditation or live in an ashram for 20 years. Once you get a glimpse of it, you can invite it into your daily life.” For a growing number of people, it’s this understanding of the always present “spiritual you” shining through that has led to significant improvements in their lives, not the least of which is better health. This would seem to indicate that these kinds of spiritual insights aren’t the least bit ethereal or elusive, but decidedly practical. “Spirituality and religion belong in the healing paradigm,” writes Airdre Grant, Ph.D., of Australia’s Southern Cross University, in a study published in the Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society. “They are determinants of health and they are factors in recovery, well-being and longevity.” So where do these insights come from? Is it simply a matter of wishful thinking? Or is it perhaps something more reliable, more effective than that? “Jesus said, ‘The kingdom of heaven is within you,’” observes Tolle, implying that this health-inducing understanding may be a lot closer than we thought. “I think if he lived nowadays, instead of ‘kingdom’, he would have said, ‘dimension’. And ‘heaven’ refers to a sense of vastness or spaciousness. So if we retranslate the words of Jesus into modern terms, [it would be] ‘the dimension of spaciousness is within you.’” “And then Jesus said—when they asked him, ‘Where is the kingdom of heaven and when is it going to come?’— he said, ‘The kingdom of

heaven does not come with signs to be perceived. You cannot say, ah, it’s over there or look, it’s over there, for I tell you the kingdom of heaven is within you.’” How comforting it is to be reminded that the proverbial “kingdom of heaven” we’ve been hearing about for at least two millennia—this “dimension of spaciousness”, or what might be characterized as the understanding of our true spiritual identity—is “within you.” It’s within us all, here and now.

All that remains is the willingness— and the humility—to put this insight into practice. Eric Nelson is a Christian Science healing practitioner from Los Altos, CA, whose articles on the link between spiritual consciousness and health appear regularly in national online publications. Connect at norcalcs.org.

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healthykids

Sweet Slumber

Co-Sleeping in the Family Bed by Mark Sisson

very young mammal on Earth sleeps in close contact with its mother and other family members. They’ve been co-sleeping for security, warmth, comfort and protection for millions of years of evolution. Although it is generally frowned upon in the United States, many human cultures, including most in East Asia, the Pacific islands, South America, Africa and much of southern Europe, have a rich tradition of co-sleeping. In At Home: A Short History of Private Life, Bill Bryson relates that until very recently, most domiciles centered

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around a central room, or hall, where everyone slept together. Even today, adults and children almost always sleep together in the same beds in non-industrialized, traditional societies worldwide. The modern practice of placing babies in separate rooms at night, often to cry themselves to sleep, appears to be a historical aberration. Co-sleeping, conversely, is the age-old norm because it offers so many benefits to both parents and children.

Co-sleeping makes breastfeeding easier. Studies published by the Acta Paediatrica, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics confirm a consistent link between co-sleeping and breastfeeding in countries as disparate as Brazil, Britain, Malaysia and Sweden. Breast milk provides immunological benefits, transfers symbiotic gut bacteria and promotes bonding between mother and child. It’s especially nutritious if the mother’s diet is healthy, and breast milk is the only food experts agree the human body is unquestionably designed to consume. Co-sleeping improves sleep. A mother that can breast-

feed without leaving the bed will get more sleep. Also, more research from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows a lower incidence of sudden infant death syndrome when breastfeeding is practiced. In the clinical experience of James McKenna, Ph.D., a University of Notre Dame professor and leading anthropologist in the field, “Breastfeeding mothers typically keep their babies away from pillows, positioning their infants on their backs, while placing them below the parents’ shoulders and raising their arms above them.” Plus, the adults “lay on their sides in ways that can prevent accidental overlays.”

Co-sleeping builds parent-child bonds. Research pubCheck out Carl Atman on 20

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lished by the Sleep Research Society shows that mothers that co-sleep with their babies are more attuned to their sleep/ wake habits and can respond quicker to their needs. According to the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medi-

cine, skin-to-skin touch increases the secretion of oxytocin, a bond-building hormone.

Co-sleeping fosters maturation. Studies in the Infant

and Child Development journal show that kids that share a bed or sleep in the same room with their parents grow up to be more self-reliant and socially independent, better behaved, less anxious about intimacy as adults and more likely to be happy. Parents that are nervous about sharing beds can try room sharing, where the baby sleeps in an adjoining crib or cot; family members will experience many of the same benefits. Mark Sisson is a former marathon runner and triathlete. He is the author of the bestselling health and fitness book, The Primal Blueprint, and publisher of the health blog, MarksDailyApple.com.

Safe Co-Sleeping Habits by Mark Sisson

DON’T:

4 Don’t drink alcohol or take drugs that affect awareness and judgment, especially before bed. 4 Don’t smoke tobacco. The tars and toxins cling to an adult’s body, hair and clothes, exposing the baby to dangerous chemicals that increases the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). 4 Don’t co-sleep if the parent is sleep-deprived, a heavy sleeper, has sleep apnea or is obese. 4 Don’t allow pets or other children to sleep next to babies. 4 Don’t co-sleep on a sofa, loveseat or reclining chair. The cushions create crevices for infant heads to slip into and the elevation creates a fall risk. 4 Don’t use overly soft mattresses that babies can sink into. Think firm. 4 Don’t use thick bedding, which can cause rapid overheating or lead to smothering. 4 Don’t co-sleep unless everyone is on board. If a spouse isn’t agreeable, try a room share instead.

DO:

4 Provide a big enough bed to afford ample space for all co-sleepers. 4 Keep the mattress low or place it on the floor. 4 Eliminate all crevices that a baby might be able to fall into; push the mattress snug against one or more walls. 4 Use a firm mattress, a tight-fitting sheet and light bedding. 4 Place the baby on its back to sleep.

Add Harmony To Life! “There is a power for good in the universe greater than you are and you can use it.” Ernest Holmes/Science of Mind

Sunday Services 11-12pm (Music starts at

10:45am with The Killens) Location for services is at HILTON BRENTWOOD Suites, 9000 Overlook Blvd. which is centrally located at I 65 South & Old Hickory Blvd. near Maryland Farms off Church St. in Brentwood.

Contact Information: Revs. Dyann & Michael Woody 662-5539 info@mccsl.org www.MCCSL.org

UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS: December 1st FREE Movie 1:30-3:30pm. Extended version of Louise Hay’s ‘Heal Your Life.’ December 15th Christmas Caroling, Dirty Santa & Second Harvest Giving 1:30-3:30pm. December 29th BURNING BOWL Ceremony 11-12:15pm with Rev. Franklin Privette. January 5th 2014 VISION Board Workshop with 1:30-3:30pm $20 advance $25 at the door. Jan. 19th Joan Shannon Intuitive Guidance Workshop 1:30-3:30pm $20/advance $25/door.

THE ESSENTIAL ERNEST HOLMES

10 Week Accredited Science of Mind Course begins Thursday Jan. 9th 6:30-8:30pm at Lemongrass Thai/Sushi in Bellevue. It will also be offered in Brentwood on Friday Jan. 10th 11-1pm. To RSVP email: fprivette@comcast.net

natural awakenings

December 2013

YOGA

fitbody

A Style for EveryBODY by Robbie Short

eople try yoga for the first time for many different reasons; a friend’s urging, a doctor's advice or just curiosity. Beginners at yoga are often confused by which class to try first and end up in the wrong one. Through practice, you will find that yoga is not “one size fits all”, but yoga is for every BODY. What do you want from yoga? Are you looking for stress relief? Do you want a strenuous low impact workout that offers the opportunity to sweat and challenge you? Are you looking for additional strength building or increased flexibility or both? Maybe you are limited in your mobility due to a bad knee, or back. Perhaps you simply want better overall health and improved quality of life. There is a yoga style for each of these needs and more. Yoga should be a lifelong practice that will change and evolve as you do. Let’s start with a more physical practice. Any flow class will be more physically challenging. Flow classes usually have the term Vinyasa in the name. These classes will emphasize movement led by the breath. Inhalations typically help you extend and exhalations take you into folds. Vinyasa stems originally from the Ashtanga lineage. Ashtanga is also a flow of movement that sequences postures, but is more regimented and rigorous. As you build outer strength you may also notice more inner strength. As you gain flexibility in

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body, you may notice a more flexible mind. Yoga is therapeutic if done correctly and mindfully. The healing aspects can be at a physical and emotional level. Maybe you have had an injury or suffer from a chronic health issue. Then a Yoga Therapy, Yoga with Chair or Iyengar class may be appropriate. Yoga Therapy is a fairly new style that has really taken off in the last several years and caters to the physical needs of the student. A Yoga with Chair class uses an actual chair as a prop to help stabilize the student. Using the chair he or she can access many traditional poses allowing them to build balance and strength along with confidence. Iyengar is a style based on precision of alignment in the poses to create a strong foundation and get the maximum benefit. Restorative yoga is the most gentle and has the least amount of movement. You set yourself up in a propped position with bolsters, blocks and eye pillows to create comfort. This nourishes the joints and inner organs. The challenge here is calming the mind and staying present. Rest is a great antidote for stress so it invites a state of renewal. Stress Relief classes are a combination of Yin and Restorative poses. Yin is based on some of the original yoga postures as well as Chinese medicine meridians. It’s a deep practice where you hold the poses longer and exercise the connective tissues. Healing can happen on many levels from a yoga practice. It can reduce blood pressure, tone muscle and minimize stress, help manage arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, insomnia, digestive disorders and more. I hope this inspires your journey into yoga. It is truly time tested knowledge that works. Robbie Michelle Short is co-owner of Half Moon Yoga Healing located in Franklin. To learn more Visit: HalfMoonYoga.net. See ad page 18.

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inspiration

Coming Next Month

BE HAPPY RIGHT NOW

SPECIAL EDITION

Health & Wellness

The Top Five Regrets of the Dying

Rev Up Healthy Choices in the New Year

by Bronnie Ware

eople grow a lot when faced with their own mortality. As a palliative caregiver for many years, I learned never to underestimate someone’s capacity for personal growth. After wrestling with a variety of intense emotions, every patient I saw found their peace before they departed. When questioned about regrets or what they would have done differently, five themes emerged. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even half of their dreams and died knowing that it was due to choices they had made or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realize until they no longer have it. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. Every male patient that I nursed felt they had missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. They deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence. Women also spoke of this regret, but because most were from an older generation, many had not been breadwinners. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings. Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace

with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. As a result, many developed illnesses apparently related to the bitterness and resentment they carried.

Local & National Experts Show You How

I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. Many were disappointed they had not truly realized the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks, and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip away. Many deeply regretted not giving important friendships the time and effort that they deserved. I wish that I had let myself be happier. Many did not understand until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called comfort of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others and to themselves that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh with gusto and cultivate some silliness in their life. Bronnie Ware is the author of The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing, a memoir of how people she cared for changed the way she lives. She blogs at InspirationAndChai.com.

For more information about advertising and how you can participate, call

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natural awakenings

December 2013

Peace on Our Plates Mindful Eating for a More Peaceful World by Judith Fertig As Earth’s population grows to a projected 9 billion people by 2050, can our global community keep eating flesh like we’ve been doing for centuries? No, according to a 2010 report by the United Nations Environment Programme, an international panel of sustainable resource management experts. Examining the food demands of a growing population and associated environmental and sustainability issues, Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production recommends “substantial

worldwide diet change away from animal products.”

Making the case for a holistic view, Will Tuttle, Ph.D., suggests in World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony that we start to see the connections between our food choices and the health and well-being of ourselves, our families, communities and the world.

Web of Understanding

At the center of the web of life is the food we all share to sustain our bodies. 24

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Tuttle insists that we celebrate this and regard each meal as a feast. “Food preparation is the only art that allows us to literally incorporate what we create. It is also the only art that fully involves all five senses,” he says. We honor this wonderful activity most by sharing our cooking efforts with others, blessing the food and eating mindfully. The problem at the center of life, maintains Tuttle, is that we involve animals in our food chain, an act that “introduces suffering, whether physical, mental or emotional.” This is a truth we try to hide from, what he calls the ”cultural shadow”. “The worst examples include factory farming, but even the best methods ultimately involve killing other animals for food,” he says. One of Tuttle’s more controversial claims is that the herding culture— raising, dominating, selling, killing and owning animals—sets up a harmful physical, emotional and cultural dynamic, extolling domineering and aggressive behavior. “The herding culture requires male dominance and a mentality that might makes right,” observes Tuttle. “It also sees females

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photo by Stephen Blancett

consciouseating

as primarily breeders, not beings.” Based on contemporary research in anthropology, sociology and psychopathology, he maintains that the actions required to both dominate animals and eat their meat can lead to more aggressive and violent behavior. One recent study seems to support his claim. Dr. Neil Barnard, in his book, Foods That Fight Pain, remarks that, “Plant-based diets also help tame testosterone’s activity.” Barnard cites a Massachusetts male aging study of 1,552 men ages 40 to 70, which indicated that men eating more fruits and vegetables than meat were less domineering and aggressive, because the increased sex hormone-binding globulin produced by plants helps keep testosterone in check. “If we continue the meatcentric way of eating, we’re going to continue to have the problems that come with it,” says Tuttle. “The way forward is plant-based agriculture.”

Practicing a World Peace Diet The Tuttles shop for fresh, organic and non-GMO (genetically modified organism) foods and favor what they call “blueprint recipes”, that vary from day to day. Each outlines the makings of a dish and encourages cooks to be intuitive in how they fill in the details. For a typical breakfast, for example, Tuttle and his wife, Madeleine, will make a green smoothie that includes kale, banana, apple, grapes, ground flax, chia seeds, cinnamon and fresh ginger. “It’s a flexible drink,” says Tuttle. “We will swap out whatever organic fruits and vegetables we have so that we vary the flavor from time to time.” For example, they might use parsley, spinach, or chard leaves in place of kale, or citrus in place of grapes. Lunch is usually a wrap-type sandwich, sometimes using fresh

leaf lettuce or a whole-wheat tortilla. One recent example of such a wrap combined tomatoes, peppers, sprouts, walnuts, tempeh and avocado. A dinnertime blueprint recipe involves a base of cooked rice, quinoa, pasta, mashed potatoes or polenta, topped with a vegetable ragout, cooked or raw. “You could live the rest of your life mixing and matching these ingredients and never have the same meal twice,” notes Tuttle. “We have been doing it for 30 years. If we all choose to eat like this, the world could feed everybody on a fraction of the land now consumed by agriculture.” Learn more at WorldPeaceDiet.org/ articles.htm. Judith Fertig blogs at AlfrescoFood AndLifestyle.blogspot.com from Overland Park, KS.

Peace Blueprint Recipe Raw Vegetable Ragout with Brown Rice Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir in the rice, reduce the heat and simmer covered until tender, about 40 minutes. While the rice is cooking, combine Yields two servings the red bell pepper, celery, Kalamata olives, Italian parsley and walnuts in a Rice: medium-sized bowl. In a small bowl, 1 cup brown rice whisk together the olive oil, garlic, 2¼ cups water lemon juice and salt. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, stir until well Raw Vegetable Ragout: blended, and then let rest until the rice 1 cup red bell pepper, cut into strips is done. ½ cup finely chopped celery To serve, spoon the cooked rice ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped onto each plate and top with the raw ¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley vegetable ragout. ¼ cup toasted, chopped walnuts 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil Source: Adapted from Intuitive 1 garlic clove, minced Cooking, by Madeleine Tuttle 1 Tbsp lemon juice (WorldPeaceDiet.org). 1 tsp coarse kosher or sea salt Start dinner with a base of cooked rice, potatoes, quinoa or polenta and top it with a vegetable medley.

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natural awakenings

December 2013

naturalpet

Pet First-Aid Kits All-Natural Home Health Care by Sandra Murphy

“

irst-aid is the first thing you can do to help an injured animal if you are prepared,” says Dr. Jason Nicholas, owner of The Preventive Vet, in Portland, Oregon. Attention in cases of injury or sudden illness can help a dog or cat stay more comfortable, stop bleeding and provide temporary relief. A pet first-aid kit can resemble a pantry more than a medicine cabinet. Natural components include: Cool water. Purified water kept in a spray bottle can cool overheated pets. For the fastest results, spray near the pulse points, the “armpits” and where fur is the thinnest. Further, a vet will assess if clinical hydration is needed beyond the water bowl. Saline solution. Versatile saline is available at the vet’s office or any pharmacy, and also easy and inexpensive to make at home. Use it to flush debris from eyes, clean wounds and promote healing from incisions. Two teaspoons of non-iodized salt in four cups of boiled water mimics body fluids. The Ohio State University Medical Center website provides a recipe for normal saline solution at Tinyurl.com/SalineRecipe. Vinegar. It acts as a drying agent, especially for floppy-eared dogs taking a dip in a pool or natural waterway, which can leave the inner ear moist. “Don’t use vinegar if the skin is red or broken because it will be painful,” says Dr. Jules Benson, vice president of veterinary services at Petplan Pet Insurance, in Newtown Square, 26

Nashville Edition

Pennsylvania. Never use it more than twice a week. Honey. Apply this sweet unguent to gums to help counteract low blood sugar and shock, particularly when a diabetic pet’s insulin levels are off. Maple syrup is a good substitute. Sugar. Although not recommended in a regular pet diet, sugar can be a topical antibacterial for the short term. Sugar draws water from the wound and dehydrates bacteria, supporting growth of new tissue. Plain yogurt. Adding this healthy refrigerated topping to dry food will activate a sluggish appetite and supply needed cultures to help balance the digestive system. Cornstarch. This non-toxic remedy helps stop minor bleeding from cuts, scrapes and pedicure accidents. Calendula. Also known as pot marigold, calendula cream may be used as an anti-inflammatory. Bug bites, scrapes, sunburn and itching from allergies also benefit from its application. Aloe. Easily grown in a garden or pot and available in gel form, aloe sooths burns, prevents blisters and speeds healing. It also serves as canine Chapstick. “Older dogs often have cracked skin on their noses,” notes Benson. “Aloe helps to heal the skin and keeps the dog comfortable.” Rescue Remedy. Illness or injury brings stress, and one common solution is Rescue Remedy. To relieve fear or anxiety, rub it onto

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a paw, nose or ears or add the recommended number of drops to water, a treat or food. It helps dogs, cats, horses, birds, fish and even iguanas. Dosage relies on the extent of stress rather than weight or species. Clean cloths. For bee stings or insect bites on the body, cool compresses can reduce swelling and itching. Wet a washcloth with cold water or for larger welts, wrap an ice pack in a towel and apply for a few minutes at a time. For stings on the face or mouth, it’s best to go to the vet’s office immediately, so that airways don’t swell up and hinder breathing. Miscellaneous supplies. Keep on hand gauze, tape, small scissors, tweezers (for removing objects from the roof of the mouth or splinters), a small flashlight, clean socks to cover a bandage and disposable gloves to keep human germs out of open wounds. A dog in pain may bite without realizing it. Nicholas recommends a basket muzzle, so the dog can easily breathe and pant. When a pet eats or drinks non-food items or foods they shouldn’t, such as chocolate, grapes or onions, head to the local vet. Veterinarian Jeff Levy, in New York City, who is also a certified veterinary acupuncturist, counsels, “Always keep contact information for your vet, an emergency hospital and animal poison control center handy.” Also, find out where emergency services are located when traveling. Pets can go into shock just like humans. To prevent or reduce the impact, keep the animal warm and provide a deep massage of the ears, at the base, where ears meet the head. A couple of drops of lavender oil on a collar or bandana will help everyone relax. Do not put essential oils directly on the pet, especially cats, as it can be toxic. Just like children, pets may have accidents or get sick after office hours. Stay calm, head for the natural pet pantry and then call the family’s holistic veterinarian. Sandra Murphy is a freelance writer in St. Louis, MO. Connect at StLSandyM@ yahoo.com.

calendar SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1 Music City Center for Spiritual Living – Music at 10:45am with Service following at 11am. “The Miracle of Light” with Rev. Michael Woody plus music with The Killens. Today we use the Hanukkah story as a backdrop for experiencing the miracle of light in our own lives. It is a light that restores, heals and blesses us over and over. Free movie from 1:30-3:30pm, “Heal Your Life.” 615-662-5539. MCCSL.org. MCCSL meets at the Hilton-Brentwood, 9000 Overlook Blvd, Brentwood. Info@MCCSL.org. Center for Spiritual Living Nashville – 11am with Dr. Mitch Johnson. “Passages to Personal Power” - Certain passages from sacred writings have the capacity to help us see that there is no difficulty we cannot handle and no dream that can’t be created anew. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. Info@CSLNashville.org.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 2 Yin Tui Na – 5:30-9:30pm. Free. Presentation will be about a gentle form of Yin Tui Na, a manual technique that addresses unhealed foot injuries as discovered by Dr. Janice Hadlock, DAOM. Class may be taken for continuing education by LMTs. Registration requested to 615-647-7244 or 615496-3366. Nashville Academy of Reflexology, 4825 Trousdale Dr, Suite 222, Nashville.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5 Open House – 11:30am-1pm. Free. Learn about foot & hand reflexology and our professional Reflexologist certification program. Nashville Academy of Reflexology, 4825 Trousdale Dr, Suite 222, Nashville. NashvilleAcademyOfReflexology. com. 615-647-7244.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6 Youth Holiday Extravaganza -7pm. December’s Co-Creators’ Coffeehouse features our Kids, Tweens and Teens in a fantastic show! This year’s theme is “Season of Joy” and you’ll see the CSLN youth celebrate the various holiday traditions, including Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa, with a lot of surprises in between. Bring a plate of your favorite cookies to share after the show. We may even be blessed with Mr. and Mrs. Claus! CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-017. Info@CSLNashville.org.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7 Holiday Celebration – 10am-6pm. Our annual event to thank our customers for their support. Free seminars all day on Intuitive Abilities, BodyTalk: The Language of Health, Structural Integration Bodywork, Essential Oils 101, Mini Services at $25 each, complimentary snacks, door prizes, drawings and more. Cosmic Connections, 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville. 615-463-7677. YourCosmicConnections.com. Open House – 3-4:30pm. Free. Learn about

foot & hand reflexology and our professional Reflexologist certification program. Nashville Academy of Reflexology, 4825 Trousdale Dr, Suite 222, Nashville. NashvilleAcademyOfReflexology. com. 615-647-7244. Fall Star Party – 7-9pm. Free. All ages welcome. Open house event held outside of the nature center. Astronomers and telescopes will be on hand and event will be cancelled if weather is not suitable for star gazing. Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, 1900 Davidson St, Nashville.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 Crystal Healing Techniques – 10am-2pm. $40. Learn professional crystal healing techniques for the systems of the physical body and the spirit. They are designed to target specific issues and use specific crystals that will be provided during the class. Techniques can be adapted for personal use. RSVP to 615-463-7677 as seating is limited. Cosmic Connections, 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville. YourCosmicConnections.com. Music City Center for Spiritual Living – Music at 10:45am with Service following at 11am. “What Gifts Will You Give?” with Rev. Dyann Woody plus music with The Killens. Gift giving is a staple activity at this time of year, and it is one that can be joyous and incredibly rewarding or fraught with frustration and stress. Today we explore some wisdom of gift giving from a spiritually-based, as well as an eco-friendly, point of view, and we look at the deeper gifts we all have to give. MCCSL meets at the Hilton-Brentwood, 9000 Overlook

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December 2013

Blvd, Brentwood. 615-662-5539. Info@MCCSL. org or MCCSL.org. Center for Spiritual Living Nashville -11am with Dr. Mitch Johnson. “The gospel According To You” - The glad tidings we hear so much about at this time of year are about you and the good you are bringing into being. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-017. Info@ CSLNashville.org. Meditation for Beginners – 2-3pm. $10.There’s no “right” way to meditate. All it takes to get started is the “want-to” and a little guidance. After this easy-going hour, you’ll come away ready to start meditating -- on your own terms. RSVP to 615-463-7677 as seating is limited. Cosmic Connections, 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville. YourCosmicConnections.com.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 9 A Course in Miracles Discussion Group – 6:30pm.We will be reading and talking about the Course section “The Manual for Teachers,” so, come and join us! CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. Info@ CSLNashville.org.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 11 Open House – 11:30am-1pm and 7-8:30pm. Free. Learn about foot & hand reflexology and our professional Reflexologist certification program. Nashville Academy of Reflexology, 4825 Trousdale Dr, Suite 222, Nashville. 615-647-7244. NashvilleAcademyOfReflexology.com.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12 Open House – 11:30am-1pm and 7-8:30pm. Free. Learn about foot & hand reflexology and our professional Reflexologist certification program. Nashville Academy of Reflexology, 4825 Trousdale Dr, Suite 222, Nashville. 615-647-7244. NashvilleAcademyOfReflexology.com. Taize Service – Out of the Darkness, Into the Light – 7pm with Rev. Donna Michael. This service offers a quiet, contemplative atmosphere in which to embrace the stillness and deep peace that seems so elusive during the busy holiday season. With song chants, readings, silent meditation and prayers at the candles, we give ourselves the gifts of reflection and renewal as we step out of the darkness—into the light. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. Info@CSLNashville.org.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14 Meditate with the HU Song – 11am-12pm Free. Come and meditate with the HU Song. It only takes 20 minutes and discussion follows. Each person’s experience is unique. You may feel grounded afterwards, you may experience visualizations during. RSVP requested to 615-463-7677. Cosmic Connections, 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville. Frame Drum Wisdom – Reclaim Your Voice for Healing – 1-3pm. $20. Join us as we explore the mystery of sound healing through the ancient wisdom of the frame drum. Together we will sing & chant into the frame drum creating a beautiful, “other worldly” resonance; learn to drum on others creating a stress reducing, calming effect; and just

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play together finding new ways to interact with the drum and each other. RSVP to 615-463-7677 as seating is limited. Cosmic Connections, 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville. Duck, Duck, Goose – 2-3 pm. Free. All ages welcome. This time of year can be an excellent opportunity to explore the various water fowl that inhabit the park at this time of year. Join us for a short hike and some fun activities! Registration requested to 862-8539. Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, 1900 Davidson St, Nashville.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15 Music City Center for Spiritual Living – Music at 10:45am with Service following at 11am. “Your Christmas Club Account” with Rev. Michael Woody plus music with The Killens. Did your parents establish a Christmas Club savings account? While having one is a good idea, there is an even more important account to have, your spiritual savings account, which, if you make regular deposits, will be available to make withdrawals. Caroling at 1:30pm with The Killens, Dirty Santa and bring your Second Harvest gifts. MCCSL meets every Sunday at Hilton-Brentwood, 9000 Overlook Blvd, Brentwood. 615-662-5539. Info@MCCSL.org or MCCSL.org. Center for Spiritual Living Nashville -11am with Dr. Mitch Johnson. “The World’s Greatest AHA” - There is always a “aha” when we understand something for the first time. The greatest ones are those that allow us to bring our gifts to life. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. Info@CSLNashville.org. Medicine Cabinet Makeover with Essential Oils – 12-1pm. Free. Presented by Teresa Sturges, RN. This class will deepen your knowledge and understanding about the basics of essential oils, the difference in quality and grades, potency and purity, how and why they are so effective, and how to use them. Learn how to replace OTC (over the counter) medicine products, save money, experience relief faster, and avoid the potentially harmful side effects from OTC medications. RSVP requested to 615463-7677. Cosmic Connections, 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville. Building Houses of Love Auction – 2-5pm. Our Youth Group will be decorating gingerbread houses in the Community Room during Service on Sunday, December 8. Each Gingerbread house will be auctioned off on Sunday, December 15, following our Service. All proceeds will go to our Youth Group. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. Info@CSLNashville.org. Open House – 3-4:30pm. Free. Learn about foot & hand reflexology and our professional Reflexologist certification program. Nashville Academy of Reflexology, 4825 Trousdale Dr, Suite 222, Nashville. NashvilleAcademyOfReflexology. com. 615-647-7244.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18 Introduction to Reflexology – 1:30-4pm. Free. 2 CE hours. Registration required to 615-496-3366 or 615-647-7244 as class size is limited. Email: NashvilleReflexAcademy@gmail.com. Nashville Academy of Reflexology, 4825 Trousdale Dr, Suite 222, Nashville.

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20 Fur-tastic Friday – 10-11am. Ages 3-5. Bring your little ones to start learning about the various mammals that live in the park. We’ll have stories, puppets, a craft and maybe even venture outside! Registration requested to 862-8539. Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, 1900 Davidson St, Nashville. CSLNashville Christmas Party -7pm. Fun, music, dancing, good friends and great food, if you bring it, that is. This is Potluck so bring your favorite dish (an appetizer, main dish, dessert or drink). This is a casual event so jeans are welcome! Fun activities planned. Please contact us if you have any questions or if you want to volunteer to help set up and clean up. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. Info@CSLNashville.org.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21 Winter Solstice Celebration – 10am-3pm. Free. All ages welcome. Open house event that will include stories, a campfire, fun winter activities and hot chocolate! Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, 1900 Davidson St, Nashville.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22 Music City Center for Spiritual Living – Music at 10:45am with Service following at 11am. “You’re Pre-Approved” with Rev. Dyann Woody plus music with The Killens. You came into this life pre-approved. Today, we explore what that means. MCCSL meets every Sunday at Hilton-Brentwood, 9000 Overlook Blvd, Brentwood. 615-662-5539. Info@MCCSL.org or MCCSL.org. Center for Spiritual Living Nashville – 11am with Dr. Mitch Johnson. “What do you want for Christmas?” - Whatever it is, you have the right to ask for it. You have the duty to become it. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-017. Info@CSLNashville.org.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 29 Music City Center for Spiritual Living – Music at 10:45am with Service following at 11am. “Burning Bowl Ceremony” with Rev. Franklin Privette plus music with Michelle Prentice. Sacred Ceremony of release and renewal for 2014. MCCSL meets every Sunday at Hilton-Brentwood, 9000 Overlook Blvd, Brentwood. 615-662-5539. Info@MCCSL. org or MCCSL.org. Center for Spiritual Living Nashville – 11am with Dr. Tim Stewart. “The Power of New Beginnings” - We are entering a new year with new dreams, new visions and new goals. Discover the wonderful power of beginning anew and the conditions needed for your seeds of the future to flourish. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. Info@ CSLNashville.org.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 30 A Course in Miracles Discussion Group – 6:30pm. We will be reading and talking about the Course section “The Manual for Teachers,” so, come and join us! CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-017. Info@ CSLNashville.org.

ongoingevents daily

classifieds

cut flowers. For information call Sean Siple at 615585-1294. EastNashvilleMarket.com.

Nashville Farmers’ Market – 8am-5pm daily. 900 Rosa Parks Blvd, Nashville. 615-880-2001.

Zumba Fitness - 5:30pm. Contact VinaGoddess@ comcast.net. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174.

monday

thursday

Metro Nashville Farmers’ Market – 9-5pm. Open all year. 900 Eighth Ave N, Nashville. NashvilleFarmersMarket.org. Zumba Fitness Class - 5:30pm. Email: VinaGoddess@comcast.net. Center for Spiritual Living Nashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. New Moon Monthly Energy Workshop - 6:309pm. Second Monday of every month. Class/$20, monthly membership/$10. Master Astrologer Marvin Wilkerson will guide you through the monthly Sun/Moon Cycle and important energy Angels for the New Moon, monthly forecast for each sign, and current yearly phase along with a guided meditation. Workshop handouts and recordings provided. Event held in Brentwood. For more information contact Marvin at 615-557-5667 or visit: AstroMarv.com to learn more about this one of a kind workshop.

tuesday Timeless Tuesday Drop In Meditation - 5:00pm & 6:00pm. Beginners and experienced welcome. Elevate with the Intentional Energy of Community! Facilitated by Colette Divine, Agape Licensed Spiritual Practitioner. CSLNmeditation@gmail. com. Center for Spiritual Living Nashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. NAR Community Reflexology Clinic – 6-9pm. Foot and Hand Reflexology. Nashville Academy of Reflexology, 4825 Trousdale Dr, Suite 222, Nashville. Donation based. Schedule your appointment at: NashvilleAcademyOfReflexology_ Clinic.html. 615-647-7244. WomenHeart of Williamson County - Free. This support group is a safe environment where women living with, or at risk of heart disease can come together, share their heart stories, and realize they are not alone. Meets the last Tuesday of every month except for December. For more information contact Cynthia S. Brown at 513-2542744. Brentwood Baptist Church, 7777 Concord Rd, Room 2100, Brentwood.

wednesday East Nashville Farmers Market - 3:30-6:30pm. Features a diverse mixture of local products, including natural dye clothing, candles and fresh

Reiki - 6:30-8pm. First Thursday. Donations appreciated. Experience a night of energy-work as a recipient, practitioner or observer. Cosmic Connections, 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville. For information contact Diana Shaffer at 615-5136565.

saturday Zumba Fitness or Piloxing Class – 9:00am. Reservation required. Call 615-356-0174 or email: VinaGoddess@comcast.net. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville.

GIFTS Cosmic Connections, 1701 Portland Ave, Nashville. 615-463-7677. Essential oils, flower essences, incense, crystals, jewelry, music, unique gifts and holistic services, we have it all. Stop by for a visit.

ENERGY WORKSHOPS New Moon Monthly Energy Workshop – 6:30-9pm. Second Monday of every month. Single event $20 or $10 each month with membership. Master Astrologer Marvin Wilkerson will guide you through the monthly Sun/Moon cycle and important energy’s, Angels for the New Moon, monthly forecast for each sign, current yearly phase along with a guided meditation. You will receive handouts along with a recording of the workshop. Event held in Brentwood. For more information call Marvin at 615-557-5667 or visit: AstroMarv.com to learn more about this one of a kind workshop.

sunday Center for Spiritual Living Nashville - Opening our doors two Sunday nights a month in conjunction with the “Room in the Inn” program. Seeking volunteers to help! Volunteer drivers, meal providers, overnight supervisors, and cleanup detail. CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. 615-356-0174. Info@CSLNashville.org. Center for Spiritual Living Nashville - 11am service; Meditation - 10:30am; music starts at 10:45am. This month’s treatment by Dr. Mitch Johnson: “In this beautiful holiday season I now pause to remind myself that I am truly One with God. I allow myself to feel the joy and hear the angels sing. I sense the great swelling up of love rising in my heart, to join all other hearts that are creating peace on earth and good will to all. Thank you, all Wonderful Loving Presence, this is so beautifully true and I happily let it be so. And so it is!” CSLNashville, 6705 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, 615-356-0174. Info@CSLNashville.org.

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Music City Center for Spiritual Living – Meets 11am every Sunday at the Hilton-Brentwood, 9000 Overlook Blvd, Brentwood. 615-662-5539 or email: Info@MCCSL.org. “A December to Remember”- Join us this month and share in the sweetness, the sacredness and the holiness of this time of year in new and empowering ways. Each week we will explore the depth and meaning of the holidays, while at the same time enjoy the trappings of the outer experiences. Affirmation: I open my mind and my heart to the sweet, sacred and holy nature of this time of year. I experience the Miracle of Light in my life and know myself to be a Gift of God. Today, I accept the blessings of the Divine and move forward embracing the Truth!

NaturalAwakeningsSingles.com

natural awakenings

December 2013

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Gifts

ASTROLOGY MARVIN L. WILKERSON

KELLY McCULLOUGH

Professional Astrology readings for over 20 years are Spiritual and life changing. A highly individualized approach to interpreting one’s life as a whole experience. These readings are transformational and include past, present and future without the boundaries of time and space. Private sessions, workshops, lectures and presentations nationwide. Call to schedule an appointment and visit AstroMarv.com. See ad, page 14

Kelly offers a variety of services that empower people to improve their overall well-being. Intuitive readings, stone and crystal energy work, chakra balancing, clearing of negative energy from the body and etheric field. Kelly is also Reiki certified. RSVP to Cosmic Connections, by appointment only. 615-804-9154. See ad, page 6

Master Astrologer 615-557-5667 Astromarv.com

Something for Every Occasion Shop by product categories that include: • Beauty and Skin Care • Fitness • Home and Office • Toys • Books and Music • Kids and Pets

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INTUITIVE

FAMILY PRACTICE COLE FAMILY PRACTICE

kelly@kelly-mcc.com Kelly-Mcc.com 615-804-9154

SPIRITUAL LIVING MUSIC CITY CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING

Meets 11:00AM Sunday at 4962 Lebanon Pike, Old Hickory Hilton Brentwood 1406 McGavock Pike, Nashville 9000 Overlook Blvd, Brentwood 615-874-3422 MCCSL.org 615-732-1030 MCCSL is a healing and ColeFamilyPractice.org teaching center that provides

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A NEW DAY A NEW APP

Gifts

Traditional healthcare with a holistic approach! We can see the whole family for their healthcare needs. Same day appointments for acute illness. We accept most insurance. See ad, page 19

HOLISTIC SERVICES STORE COSMIC CONNECTIONS

1701 Portland Ave, Nashville 615-463-7677 YourCosmicConnections.com

Something for Every Occasion

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We are a gift, book, music and holistic services store offering a wide range of products, services, free seminars and affordable workshops to empower you on your path of mind-body-spirit connections and wellness. See ad, page 13

HYPNOSIS BETTER LIFE HYPNOSIS

Enjoy Natural Awakenings on the GO!

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Search iTunes app store for “Natural Awakenings” and download our FREE app!

Nashville Edition

Marvin L. Wilkerson, C.ht. Certified Hypnotherapist 615-557-5667 BLHypnosis.com

Programs for smoking cessation, weight loss, pain management, personal change, development, and much more. First session, FREE, so start having the life you deserve! Call right now to book an appointment and start having your “Better Life” today. See ad, page 16

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the spiritual tools that can change your life! 615-6625539. Info@mccsl.org. See ad page 21

WELLNESS COACHING ALICIA KELLER COACHING Alicia.A.Keller@gmail.com AliciaKellerCoaching.com

Coaching is an extraordinary and unique relationship designed to create a significant impact and sustainable results in all areas of a person’s life. If you’re ready to live an exceptional life filled with joy and optimum health, then let’s get started! See ad, page 22

Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got. ~Art Buchwald

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TYPHOON HAIYAN

Since 1945, CARE has worked to deliver lasting change to families and communities in need around the world. When disaster strikes, like super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, CARE is among the first to arrive and the last to leave, bringing immediate relief to those hardest hit. Your donation to CARE will give survivors a chance to rebuild their lives.

DELIVER LASTING CHANGE Visit care.org or call 800.521.CARE

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Erik De Castro, courtesy Trust.org

ÂŠ CARE 2013